Checkout 51 Review – Is it Legit or a Scam?

Wait for items to go on sale (then buy in bulk), clip coupons, or join their membership program.

In addition to all of those things though, Checkout 51 (along with similar apps, like Ibotta) is another avenue to save (and make) money while grocery shopping.

Checkout 51 has cash back offers on many different items you’ll find in the grocery store, from food to soap. It plays a huge part in my savings regime, and without it I’d be missing out on hundreds of dollars in my bank account every single year. So, per popular request, here is my honest Checkout 51 app review…

What is Checkout 51?

Checkout 51 has cash back rebates for tons of different food items such as pastas, meat, milk, bread, cereal, snacks, fruits, veggies, alcohol, and even organics. And they don’t just have rebates for food items either. They also have self care items (shampoo, deodorant, lotion, bandages, etc), cleaning items (bleach, dryer sheets, paper towels, etc), and even things like candles and pens (and everything in-between). Since their offers are always changing, there are too many things to list. In summary though, they have offers for virtually anything you could think of in a grocery store.

These cash back offers are easy to redeem and just require you to upload your receipt and have a qualifying purchase, and you’re in. If you’ve heard of Ibotta, it’s pretty much the same.

You literally earn money for shopping for every day grocery store items you’re buying anyways. While it won’t make you rich, or replace your income, it’s a great way to subsidize your grocery bill. In combination with other money making (and saving) apps, it’s an amazing tool to have in the arsenal to get your costs down.

How Does Checkout 51 Work?

Checkout 51 is an entirely FREE app and is very easy and intuitive to use. Here’s how to use Checkout 51:

Shop as usual at any store. Make sure you are getting the right items. If you don’t purchase the right item, you may not qualify for cash back. I’ve done this a few times, and it’s a mistake I always regret.

Upload your receipt to Checkout 51 on their app (or website).

24 to 48 hours after submitting your receipt, your account will be credited.

Once you hit the $20 threshold, you request to cash out.

It’s super simple, and this app alone can lead to $100’s of dollars back in your pocket every year just from buying things you’d buy anyways. Here are some extra things to keep in mind about Checkout 51:

It’s currently available only in the United States and Canada. For international folks, sadly, you can’t use this app just yet.

New offers are uploaded every Thursday. Be aware of this, because if you check the app on Wednesday and don’t shop until Friday, there may be totally different offers available.

Offers are sometimes limited in supply. If you wait to upload your receipt, you may miss out.

Use my link to signup for Checkout 51 and get a FREE $5 just for signing up. This will help jump start you to getting to your first $20 threshold, which will allow you to cash out quicker.

What I Like About Checkout 51: The Pros

Can be used at any store. Unlike Ibotta, Checkout 51 can be used at any store. Yes, that includes your local grocery store than only has one location. While some offers are exclusive to certain stores, I don’t find that this is the majority. This versatility allows me to shop anywhere and still qualify for an offer, regardless of what store I’m in. This is a huge time saver.

You can stack rebates with coupons, sales, and other rebates. Checkout 51 explicitly states you can use their apps cash back offers in tandem with coupons, sales, and even other rebates. This means you can stack offers, and that’s where serious savings comes in. I frequently get stuff for free (or near free) doing this, and it’s always a great feeling. Just a heads up though: you’ll want to make sure other services say the same so you don’t get into any trouble.

The app (and website) are easy to use. Many apps out there are hard to use, not intuitive, and straight up frustrating. Not Checkout 51. They’ve done a great job in making the process of finding an offer, adding it to your list, and submitting your receipt a seamless process – and I have to applaud them for that. It makes the process quick, saving me time. The process of finding offers takes me less than 5 minutes a week and uploading a receipt less than 30 seconds. All in all, 5 minutes and 30 seconds a week to save even a few dollars is well worth it.

Few extra things I like about Checkout 51:

You can buy items online and still get cash back. Be careful though, you’ll need a physical itemized packing slip to upload.

Some offers can be redeemed multiple times. I love to stock up on great deals!

They have an referral program. Right now you can invite your friends and earn $5 per person that signs up.

What I Disliked: The Cons

There is a temptation to try new things. I am all up for trying new things, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you’re getting a deal, right? Right, but right if you can afford it. The idea of the app is to save money, not cost you money. It’s all too easy to spend way more than intended with apps like this, so you’ve got to gain some self control. Otherwise, you may end up with less money than before you started with.

Not many non-branded rebates. Unlike Ibotta, Checkout 51 doesn’t seem to have a lot of generic, non-branded items on their list of rebates. For example, Ibotta often has rebates like 25-cents back for any bananas. While it isn’t a huge sum of money these non-branded rebates offer, it’s definitely a downside of Checkout 51 vs Ibotta.

Not as many offers as Ibotta. Maybe it’s just me, my location, and my preferences, but I find myself redeeming more offers with Ibotta than with Checkout 51. However, I wouldn’t do without Checkout 51 because there are a lot of offers on Checkout 51 that aren’t on Ibotta, and vice versa. I like to use them in tandem, and while I find myself using Ibotta more, I’d be missing out on hundreds of dollars every single year without Checkout 51.

Cash out only through check. I don’t know about you, but I prefer something like PayPal to get paid. It’s quick and doesn’t waste paper. However, for whatever reason, Checkout 51 only allows you to cash out via check (as of writing this). It takes about 2 to 3 weeks to get the check from the time your request your money, which is quiet a long wait. However, you will get your money and can vouch 100% for this company being legitimate.

Is Checkout 51 Legitimate? Or a Scam?

They’re been around since 2012 and are still in business. Through my personal experience and the endless reviews of Checkout 51 online, it’s safe to say that Checkout 51 is legitimate and entirely safe, not a scam by far.

They are fair and entirely transparent with how offers work. I haven’t had any issues with them so far, and don’t think I will. I’d love to hear your experience with Checkout 51 though, has is been good, bad? After you sign up and use it, come back and let us know!

Overall Checkout 51 Review: Conclusion

All in all, Checkout 51 has remained on my phone and is still used for virtually every grocery trip. In tandem with other cash back apps, it helps me save even more. It’s passed all my tests, and can’t recommend it enough as another “tool in the tool belt.”

If you’re going to sign up, don’t forget that if you use my link (here), you’ll get $5 for FREE as a sign up bonus. After you sign up and use the app, I’d love to hear about your experience!

Dustyn is a personal finance aficionado and the founder of Dime Will Tell where he writes about his experiences he's had saving $20,000 with zero debt all by the age of 21. He's been featured as an expert resource in publications like Huffington Post, Go Banking Rates, & Reader's Digest.